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China: police seal off city centre after smog protesters put masks on statues

the guardian) China riot police seal off city centre after smog protesters put masks on statues Benjamin Haas in Hong Kong Monday 12 December 2016 06.26 GMT The protests started after the south-western city of Chengdu was shrouded in thick smog, with some residents placing pollution masks on statues. An unknown number were taken away… [Read More]

The protests started after the south-western city of Chengdu was shrouded in thick smog, with some residents placing pollution masks on statues. An unknown number were taken away by police, with security forces in riot gear seen in the city’s downtown shopping area.

Toxic clouds of smog are regular features of China’s major cities, with some studies showing pollution has caused about 1 million premature deaths a year. China’s leaders have declared a “war on pollution”, but many state-owned companies are leaders in smog-producing industries such as steel, coal and power.

Authorities have been worried for years that the deadly air could spark protest. A 2015 film focusing on the country’s pollution and its effect on humans was quickly censored after being watched hundreds of millions of times online.

Tianfu Square, in the heart of the city, was still closed on Monday, with police cars parked in the middle and officers at the edges preventing people from entering. Police ordered copy shops to record details of anyone seeking to photocopy flyers complaining about the smog and to contact the authorities, according to photos of an official notice circulating online.

Anyone placing large orders of face masks should also be reported, the notice said.

Police rarely allow protests in China, but small-scale demonstrations are usually dispersed quickly and without mass detentions. The response in Chengdu was severe given the size, although exact numbers for the protest are unknown.

Some reported being stopped and questioned by police simply for wearing pollution masks in the same neighbourhood as the demonstration, according to social media posts, with at least a dozen being detained.

Residents quickly took to social media, calling for more action and posting photos of themselves with signs saying “let me breathe”.